It was surprising that Swine & Sons is inside the Local Butcher & Market. I had driven up to Orlando with my bud Colella for a couple of days of good eating.
After speaking to my longtime blogging compadre Droolius, he reminded me about the burger Swine & Sons in Winter Park. What a good call on his part!
We showed up at 11 AM, just as Swine & Sons unlocked its doors. The Local Butcher & Market (669 N Orange Avenue, Winter Park) opens a few hours earlier if you want to do some shopping.
There was a handy dandy printed menu at the register, but I had already checked everything I needed to know the night before.
Change of Mind?
I walked in with the Southern Smash and its pimento cheese on the mind, but I made a last-minute switch to the OK Onion Smash burger. However, I did make it up to all of you pimento cheese fiends by upgrading my regular curly fries to pimento ones.
Colella went the Simple Man route, keeping with his typical burger likes. We’re very similar when it comes to burgers, although the minute I see pimento cheese, my mind goes nuts.
In this case, I was in an Oklahoma state of mind, so I needed their onion burger.
While he’s adding a Lavendar Lemonade to wash down his food, I throw the Crispy Hot Chicken into the mix. I’m not the man I once was regarding heat, so I play it safe with the Party Heat Level.
Since we’re road-trippin’, we also add a few snacks for the drive. Unfortunately, the two desserts never make it out of the building.
Oh, It’s ON at Swine & Sons!
Colella is like a machine, hyper-focused on his classic double cheeseburger. After one bite, I proclaim that Swine & Sons made the three-and-a-half-hour drive worth it.
I still stand by that statement.
I’m floored, and now I know why Colella hasn’t looked up from his sandwich. Mid-burger, I finally make a move to the Crispy Hot Chicken.
Luckily, it wasn’t anywhere as hot as the one that almost killed me at Hattie B’s. What a freakin’ great spicy chicken sandwich. I know they use Bell & Evans, and that’s the same chicken Marcela and I buy at home.
I dipped it into their Alabama White BBQ Sauce a few times, which worked perfectly. Now back to the burger.
The two unsung heroes of the OK Onion Smash are those housemade garlic dill pickles and all the translucent and super tasty onions hidden under the burger patties.
There are plenty of onions, even though they might not look that way from the picture. I was popping pimento cheese fries in between bites, some with the white BBQ sauce.
Damn, That was Good!
Colella and I were sitting back, taking in what had just happened. Our snacks arrive as we’re finishing up. My cookie was just out of the oven. WHAT!?!?
It had to happen, and the next thing we knew, only the pork rinds and caramel corn made the trip home with us all alone. It’s a good thing we didn’t touch those; Marcela fell in love with the Spiced Caramel Corn the same night I arrived back in Miami.
I’m still waiting for the right moment to dig into the Nashville Pork Rinds, but I did sneak one. Ok, maybe it was two, and they’re great. So stop into Swine & Sons for a sandwich or two if you find yourself in Orlando.
While you’re there, browse the Local Butcher & Market’s spices, sauces, and snacks. I took home some of their blackened seasoning, a bottle of jalapeño aioli, and some chocolate chip marshmallows.
Of course, I’d be buying some of the ground beef that Swine & Sons uses if I lived in the area.
Speaking of living in the area, there is a second Swine & Sons in Sanford, Florida. Also, be on the lookout for burger pop-ups from my bud Burger Buff!